Operating mechanism for washing-machines.



A. T. CHURCH.

OPERATING MECHANiSYI FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26| 1915- latented Feb. 6, 1917.

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@wwudoz ALBERT T. CHURCH, OF HIGHLAND PARK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO CRYSTAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed August 26, 1815. Serial No. 47,415.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT T. CHURCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Operating Mechanism for Washing-Machines,' of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to driving mechanism for power washing machines, and it consists in a construction wherein a wringer may be swung from an upright position of use to a downward out of the way position, together with gearing for maintaining the driving connection between a fixed motor and the wringer rolls in both positions; also in driving connections of the nature stated comprising a telescopic shaft and means whereby the shaft may be utilized to drive the wringer rolls in either direction or may be disconnected from the rolls without stopping the motor. 8

The invention also consists in the details of construction shown, described and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view, parts being broken away,

' showing a preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan View, arts being broken away, corresponding to In the embodiment of my invention shown, 1 indicates the combined sides and bottom and 2 the ends of a. tub which is supported on the legs 3 in the ordinary way. Resting on open bearings 4 secured to the inner face of the ends 2 are the shafts 5 whereby a drum or barrel 6, the details of which form no part of the present invention, is supported, said barrel being provided with a gear 7 concentric with the shafts. The gear 7 is driven by a pinion 8, the shaft 9 of which passes through the end wall of the tub and through a bossed housing or bracket 10 secured to the outer face thereof, and is extended to receive the driving pulley 12 from which a belt (not shown) leads to a suitable source of power.

The housing 10 includes the annular rim 13 which prevents clothing and the like from.

coming into contact with certain gearing end 16 of which is received in the annular groove 17 formed in the hub of the driving pulley. Normally, the end 16 is held in the groove by a spring 18 which surrounds the crank shaft and extends between the rim 13 and a collar 19 on the shaft. A hand grip 20 furnishes a convenient means for turning the shaft about its axis.

It will be understood that by merely turning the gear shifting shaft so as to slide the shaft 9 away from the drum 6 until the pinion 8 is out of engagement with the gear 7, the drum may be lifted out of the tub. As the pinion 8 approaches the end of its movement away from the drum, it comes into mesh with a gear 22 carried on a counter-shaft 23 which projects through the wall of the tub and the housing 10 and carries a bevel gear 24. The shaft also passes through a bearing 25 formed on the housing, and through the yoke 26 by which both the bevel gear 24 and the bevel gear 28, with which it meshes, are embraced. The yoke passes through a hole in the rim 13 and forms a bearing for the shaft 29 of the gear 28, and the latter has secured thereto by the pin 30 or otherwise, a tubular shaft section 31, a portion of the inner surface of which is of non-circular configuration, and slidable longitudinally therein is a shaft section 32, the end 33 of which conforms to the noncircular portion of the shaft section 31. The other end of the shaft passes through bearings 34 and 35 on a gear housing 36, through theloose opposed bevel gears 38 and 39, and through the clutch member 40 (non-rotatable in respect to the shaft) which may be slid by the lever 41 into engagement with either of the bevel gears at will or out of contact with both. These bevel gears mesh with the bevel gear 42 fixed to the shaft 43 that passes through the housing and bears in the frame 44 of the wringer. Upon the shaft 43 is also carried the wringer roll 45, between which and the roll 46 the clothes are wrung in housingis normally closed by a cover (Fig-1), and the clothing of the user 1s prevented from becoming "caught in the shaft 3132 by a telescopic casing, one section 49 of which is rigid with the yoke 26, the other section 50 being secured to the bearing 34. I

The wringer frame is pivotally supported at 51 (preferably near the outer side of the frame) on brackets 52 carried by the tub, and may be swung from the full-line position to that indicated in dashed lines. When the wringer is raised, a projection 53 thereon engages a spring-pressed latch 54 on the tub whereby the wringer is automatically locked in place.

It is clear that various changes may be made in thedetails of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention. I do not,therefore, wish to be limited othervcombinationof a support, a frame mounted to swing vertically thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, and mechanism whereby the roller shafts may .be connected to a source of power mounted on the support when the frame is in either of a plurality of positions in respect to the support, said mechanism in-- cluding a telescopic driving shaft, the end portions of which are respectively mounted to swing in reference to the axis of one of the roller shafts and in reference to the support.

3. In a machine of theclass described, the combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing vertically thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a horizontal driving shaft on the support, a telescopic shaft free to swing at one end about the axis of the driving shaft and at the other end about the axis of one of the roller shafts, and gearing for connecting the telescopic shaft to the other shafts.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing vertically thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite emma directions, a horizontal driving shaft on the support, a telescopic shaft free to swing at one end about the axis of the driving shaft and at the other end about the axis ofone of the roller shafts,\and gearing for connecting the telescopic shaft to the other shafts, said gearing including reversing means operatively connected to the end of the telescopic'shaft nearest the frame.

5. In a machineof the class described, the combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing vertically thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft on the support, a telescopic shaft free to swing at one end in respect to the driving shaft and free to swing at the other end about the axis of one of the roller shafts, and means for connecting the several shafts so that the telescopic shaft may bedriven from the driving shaft and so that the roller shafts may be driven from the telescopic shafts. I

6. In amachine of the class described, the combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing vertically thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft on the support, a. telescopic shaft free to swing at one end in respect to the driving shaft and free to swing at the other end about the axis of one of the roller shafts, and means for connecting. the several shafts so that the telescopic shaft may be driven from the driving shaft and so that the'roller shafts may be driven from the telescopic shafts, said last men-.

tioned means including reversing means aS- sociated with the end of the telescopic shaft nearest the frame. v

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing vertically thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft on the support, a

telescopic shaft free to swing at one end in respect to the driving shaft and free to swing at the other end about the axis of one of the roller shafts, and means for connectmg the several shafts so that the telescopic shaft may be driven from the driving shaft and. so that the roller shafts may be driven from the telescopic shafts, said last mentioned means includingmanually operable disconnecting means associated with the end of the telescopic shaft nearest the frame.

8. In a machine of the class'described. the

combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being.

arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft mounted on the support, and mechanism for driving the roller shafts ried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged toturn in opposite directions, a driving shaft mounted on the support, and mechanism for driving the roller shafts from the driving shaft, said mechanism including a telescopic shaft, one end of which is carried by the support and the other end by the frame, said mechanism also including means for reversing the directions in which the roller shafts are driven.

. 10. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a. support, a frame mounted to swing thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft mounted on the support, and mechanism for driving the roller shafts from the driving shaft, said mechanism including a telescopic shaft, one end of which is carried by thesupport and the other end by the frame, said mechanism also including manually operable control ling means carried on the frame.

11. In a machine of the class described,

.the combination of a support, a frame mechanism including a telescopic shaft, one

end of which is carried by the support and the other end by the frame, and a telescopic casing inclosing and protecting the tele-' scopic shaft v 12. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing thereon,' a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, saidroller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite direc tions, a driving shaft mounted on the support, and mechanism for driving the roller shafts from the driving shaft, said mechanism including a telescopic shaft, one end of which is carried by the support'and the other end by the frame, said mechanism also including means for reversing the directions in which the roller shafts are driven, said last mentioned means including three bevel gears, one co-axial with one of the roller shafts and the other two meshing with the first in opposed relation to each other, and clutch mechanism for driving either of the two last named gears from the telescopic shaft at will.

13. In a machine of the class described,

the combination of a support, a frame mounted to swing thereon, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite direc-' 'ing the frame in one position of adjustment in respect to the support.

14. Ina machine of the class described, a support, a drum driving gear adapted to rotate about a horizontal axis, a frame mounted to 'swingon the support about a horizontal axis, a pair of roller shafts-carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft, and means whereby the driving shaft may drive the roller shafts or may drive the drum driving gear continuously in a given direction.

15. In a machine of the class described, a support, a drum driving gear adapted to rotate about a horizontal axis, a frame mounted to swing vertically on the support, a pair of roller shafts carried by the frame, said roller shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft, and means whereby the driving shaft may drive the roller shafts or may drive the drum driving gear continuously in a given direction,

said last mentioned means including a telescopic shaft, one end of which is mounted on the support, the other end being carried by the .frame. v

16. In a machine of the class described, a support, a drum driving gear adapted to rotate about a horizontal axis, a frame mountsupport, a frame mounted to swing thereon from a vertical position of use to .adownward out of the way position, roller shafts carried by the'frame, said shafts being arranged to turn in opposite directions, a driving shaft for the roller shafts located on the support, and mechanism whereby driving connection between the driving shaft and the roller shafts is preserved as the wringer swings from one position to another.

18. In a machineof the class described, a support, a frame'm'ounted to swing thereon g name from a vertical position of use to a downconnection between the driving shaft and ward out of the way position, roller shafts the roller shafts is secured when the frame is carried by the frame, said shafts being arin vertical position.

ranged to turn in opposite directions, a driv- In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- 10 5 ing shaft for the roller shafts located on the tion.

support, and mechanism whereby driving ALBERT T. CHURCH. 

